Can you tell the difference between fake bird’s nest soup and real bird’s nest soup?

If you’ve had the courage and curiosity to try the prized soup, there’s a good chance you were so enamored by the new experience that you weren’t too concerned about whether or not what you were eating was fake.

Unfortunately, the edible bird’s nest market is overrun with fake producers who are looking to cash in on what is a booming niche food market: one pound of bird’s nests can sell for more than $4,000 per pound.

Couple that with tourists’ increasing interest in the Asian delicacy and you’ve got a formula for fraud.

As experts in the edible bird’s-nest industry, our goal is to help you distinguish between fake bird’s nests and authentic ones.

So, we’ve put together a list of things you’ll want to check once you’ve got your bird’s nest in hand.

Bird’s Nest Soup: A Culinary Tradition

Before we jump into our list of ways to spot fake edible bird’s nests, we want to give you a little background on bird’s nest soup.

The soup has been popular in China for more than 1,000 years. It’s made with nests built from the saliva of the swiftlet, a bird native to several countries along the east coast of Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines and into the South Pacific.

Edible Bird’s Nest Types: Red, Gold, White and Wild

If you’ve heard of bird’s nest soup, then you’ve probably seen photos of eager – and sometimes unsure – diners lifting to their mouth a spoonful of broth mixed with gelatinous nest fibers.

What you probably don’t know is that there are multiple types of bird’s nests that vary based on where they were harvested and what color they are.

We sell four different types of nests: red, gold, white and wild.

Red Edible Bird’s Nests: The Legendary Delicacy

The rarest and most expensive bird’s nests are red, and rightly so. Their crimson coloration is breathtaking and creates an unmatched aesthetic for soups and desserts.

While the rarity of these nests is undisputed, exactly why they’re red has long been a point of controversy and wonder.

There are those who believe the nests are red because the saliva of the swallow building a red nest is laced with blood. The bird bleeds, they say, because the bird’s mouth is worn out from building multiple nests over its lifetime.

One edible bird’s nest is more prized than all others – the blood bird’s nest.

Also known as red bird’s nests, the origins of their striking color are almost as legendary as the high price they command.

The history of this beautiful bird’s nest goes back thousands of years, and, along the way, there are multiple explanations as to why these normally white nests take a decidedly red turn.

The First Legend: Blood Bird’s Nests Are Made From Blood

The swallows (also known as “swiftlets”) that make edible bird’s nests use their saliva to build the gelatinous strands that create the nest.

Think back to hundreds of years ago, before the average person had access to the kind of scientific information we do today. How would you explain the color of the nests?

Your first instinct may be to attribute the color of this delicacy to actual blood. This is, in fact, one of the explanations of the color of these nests.

The thinking is that female swallows have to build multiple nests over their lifetime to accommodate their young. They work hard to construct these nests strand by strand.

In the course of their labor, their saliva glands are strained and blood starts to seep out.

That blood mixes with saliva and the result is a crimson-colored liquid. In this sense, the blood-stained building material is not very different than someone adding a few drops of food coloring to cement.

However, as the soup has become a global phenomenon, those old notions of health benefits have come under scrutiny: Is bird’s nest soup as healthy as they say it is?

Turns out the Chinese were right – edible swallow’s nests are not only a delicious delicacy, but they’re also a nutritious meal that can benefit multiple age groups.

Your Immune System Gets Stronger

Whenever cancer patients undergo chemotherapy, both good and bad cells are killed. Some of those good cells are called “B cells”, which are white blood cells that produce antibodies that protect you from sickness.

Because these B cells take a hit during chemo, patients become more susceptible to all kinds of sicknesses.

A group of Chinese researchers was curious as to the ability of edible bird’s nests to boost the immune system, so they conducted a study in which they subjected mice to radiation and then gave them bird’s nest to recover.

The results confirmed what they thought – edible bird’s nests have a certain type of protein in them that accelerates the creation of B cells, which boosts your immune system.

Edible birds’ nest, often called swallow nest, is an ancient Chinese delicacy reserved for the royals and nobles of China. Birds’ Nest is composed of the swiftlet saliva, which is rich in all kinds of vitamins and minerals. In the ancient days, the Chinese had to gather birds’ nests from dangerous limestone caves because that was usually where these rare birds would make their nests. Nowadays, birds’ nest can be enjoyed by anyone around the world without taking any extreme measures (although natural cave nests are still harvested from time to time).

However, real, authentic birds’ nests are most likely not going to be found at your local grocery store because they are still highly prized delicacies. It can be rather difficult to spot authentic birds’ nests if you don’t know where to look. Even if you stumble upon a source that claims to have high quality products, it’s still incredibly difficult to know if you’re buying genuine, top-quality products.

What are the different types of birds’ nests?

Before buying birds’ nests, it’s good to know the qualities of each nest, as there are handfuls of different kinds to choose from! Each nest type varies in rarity and quality. We’re going to give you a brief overview of all the important nest characteristics that you should know.

In Southeast Asia, birds’ nest is known as one of the most precious natural remedies of numerous diseases and ailments. It is so deeply integrated into the Chinese culture that even those who live in rural villages would know about birds’ nest, where to purchase it, and basic attributes of different birds’ nest qualities. In the United States, however, birds’ nest is not nearly as widely known. It’s tough to even find facts about birds’ nest on the web, let alone tips and tricks on how to purchase the best quality birds’ nests.

Despite the fact that this already-rare delicacy is even rarer in the US, there are informative blogs, like ours, dedicated to providing you with the most accurate and updated information. As a customer, you have the right to know what goes into your birds’ nest products. That’s why our highly experienced team of researchers works hard to deliver the most sustainable and natural manufacturing processes to keep our products clean of GMO, dangerous chemicals, and other harmful impurities.

Without further ado, let’s discuss the six important things you should know before you purchase any birds’ nest products.

Birds’ Nest is Made of Nutritious…Bird Saliva! Yum!

The edible birds’ nest is made of the swiftlet’s saliva. Swiftlets form their nests in rocky, cavernous areas, such as limestone caves, steep cliff sides, and even imitation caves (or manmade birds’ nest farms). Saliva in general might not sound very appetizing, but the swiftlet’s saliva contains an incredible amount of vitamins and minerals. In fact, our tests have confirmed that the average nest contains:

If you’re new to the world of edible bird’s nests, then you’re probably a little overwhelmed by the choices you have.

There are dozens of websites selling bird’s nests, and all of them seem to have varying ratings for their nests. What is a AAAA nest on one site could be a AAA nest on another site.

While there’s no uniformity in the way bird’s nests are graded, there are basic principles to know which types of edible bird’s nests are the best

Best Color for Bird’s Nests

When you’re shopping for bird’s nests based on color, the best edible nest you can buy is red bird’s nests. These nests make up a very small segment of the market; their rarity lends not only to them being sought-after but costing more than all other colors.

The color of the nest was, for many centuries, attributed to a bird’s blood mixed with saliva – this is why they’re also known as blood nests. However, science has revealed the nests get their color as minerals absorbed into the nest mix with air and water.

Reputable sites will sell legitimate red nests, but there are fakes sold by companies who color white nests with sodium nitrate. These nests can be dangerous to your health. You know you have fake blood nests if the color noticeably bleeds while soaking them.